Jaroslav Halak’s agent released a statement Wednesday stating that his client never told Coach Adam Oates he didn’t want to start against his former team, the St. Louis Blues.

Following the morning skate in St. Louis Tuesday, Oates told reporters that Halak “just wasn’t 100 percent comfortable” facing the Blues. Halak was traded to Buffalo on Feb. 28 after playing three and a half seasons with the Blues and was then traded to the Capitals on March 5.

“Jaro never at anytime said he didn’t want to start against St. Louis,” Walsh said in a news release sent to the Washington Post. “A private conversation between a player and coach should stay private and not be discussed with the media. I am bewildered that a coach would break that trust especially when those comments the coach publicly attributed to Jaro are not accurate. It’s the coach who makes the decision on who plays in the games, not the players.”Not long after Oates made his original comment, Halak was asked if it was accurate and didn’t dispute the account stating that the trade was still “fresh” on his mind. Halak, 28, is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.